Sandbox closure means



1946- M. P. BLOMBERG SAND BOX CLOSURE MEANS 4 Shets-Shet 1 Filed April 19, 1943 attorneys M. P. BLOMBERG SAND BOX CLOSURE MEANS F'bls,

Filed April 19,. 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIITIIIL l i lllll r J IJ Q W A W W 7 4 Sheets-Shet s M. P BLOMBERG SAND BOX CLOSURE MEANS Filed April 19, 1943- Feb. 5, 1946.

H LLO M: e n r O H a Feb. 5, .1946.

M. P. BLOM BERG 2,394,358

SAND Box CLOSURE MEANS Filed April 19', 1945 4 Shgets-Sheet 4 attornegs la y A l Patented Feb. 5, 1946 SANDBOX CLOSURE S Martin P. Blomberg, Hinsdale, 111., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware AbP i fiQ AD 1.9, 1943, S r NQ- 8 6 7 Claims.

This invention relates to closures for sand boxes such as are used on railway locomotives, and one of the objects of the invention is to provide such a closure wherein the entrance of moisture into the interior of the sand box will be positively prevented, to insure that the sand therein may be kept in a dry condition in order that it will always flow freely through the pipes which conduct it down to the track adjacent the locomotive wheels.

In the embodiments of my invention disclosed herein, the sand box is located inside the locomotive body but is separate therefrom, being spaced a slight distance away from the side wall of the body. The sand box has. a filling openin formed near its upper end and a door is provided to close this opening, while another door serves to close a re istering opening in the side wall of the body, the latter opening-being provided to permit filling the sand box from the exterior of the locomotive. Sealing strips of resilient material are provided between the inner door and the sand box and between the outerdoor and the body wall to prevent the passage of any moisture therebetween when the doors are in closed; position.

A tubular sleeve of resilient material secured 25 around the edge of the filling opening in the body side wall extends, inwardly to the wall of the sand boxwhere it is secured around the edge of the filling opening therein. This forms a tubular passageway through which the sand passes on its Way into the sand box, the sleeve serving to prevent air from outside of the vehicle or dust from the sand from entering into the locomotive body when the sand box is being filled.

In one form of my invention, when the outer door .is in closed position, a part secured to its inner surface engages a member carried by the inner door, which member through the action of a spring serves to. exert constant pressure on the inner door to hold it tightly against the resilient sealing strip.

Other: objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent upon reference to the specification and accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1. is a side elevation of the front portion of a locomotive body of the Diesel-electric type, showing my improved sand box closure means associated therewith.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view,

on a larger scale, of the sand box closure. means.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view, taken on the line 4-4 showing a somewhat different form of my invention.

Fig. 6 i a sectional View taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5

0 Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line l .'i

of Fig. 5,.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8-3 of Fig. '7.

The. reference numeral Ill indicates the side 10. wall of the locomotive body, and I2 is a sand box which is located within th body. As best shown in Fig. 4, th wall 14 of the sand box is spaced a slight distance away from the side Wall of the body, and a plate l6 having a relatively large opening I8 formed therein is welded to the wall;

Th wall 20 also is bent, around to. form side walls 26 which are welded to the wall l4. The lower portion of the sand box is not shown since it forms no part of the present invention.

Secured inside the optn ng l8 in the plate I6 is a channel member 28 which is bent so that it extends across the top and down each side of the opening, the outer leg 30 of the channel being Welded to the plate IS. A sealing strip 32 formed of any suitable resilient material is secured in the 30 bottom of the channel by fasteners 34, this strip when in uncompressed condition extending beyond the inner leg 36 of the channel. 38 is a door which is pivotally connected to the plate It by a hinge 4n, the lower edge of the door being bent over to form a flange 42 to which the hinge is secured. Welded to the outer face of; the door are vertically extending stiffening member 44 which are of channel shape in cross section, and a handle 45 has its ends welded to the members 44. Se-

40 cured to the inner faced the door by welding is a U-shaped chute 48 which serves to support a screen 50 which is secured to its lower edge, there being a small plate 52 welded to the lower portion of the door and to the sides of the chute 48 to keep 45 the sand from getting into the hinge 40 and to support the edge of the screen adjacent the door. The purpose of the screen is of course to keep lumps of sand or foreign matter from entering the sand box, the sand being poured into the chute when the door is in the open position shown dash-and-dot lines in Fig. 4 and flowing down through the screen into the sand box.

As best shown in Fig. 4. the door 38 is held in closed po it on y h fol in me h n sm Secured to the outer face of the plate It above the door is a bracket 54 having spaced side portions 56. Between these side portions a C-shaped member 58 is pivotally mounted, there being a pivot connection 60 between the member 58 and each side portion, the pivot however not running from one side to the other of the bracket, for a reason to be presentl explained. A roller 62 is pivotally supported at one end of the member 58, while another roller 54 is pivotally supported at the other end thereof. A tension spring 66 has one end secured to a hook 68 provided on the bracket 54, the other end of the spring being connected to a lug I bent inwardly from the member. The arrangement of the pointsof connection of the spring to the bracket and to the member 58 is such that when the member is in the closed position shown in full lines in Fig. 4, the spring will extend on one side of the pivot point 60 and will tend to draw the roller 52 firmly against the door, while when the door is pulled toward open position and the member 58 assumes the position shown in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 4, the spring will be swung past the pivot point so that it will extend on the other side thereof and will then serve to hold the member in'that position thereby allowing the door to be freely opened. In other words, the spring 66 functions as an overcenter spring to hold the member 58 in either open or closed position, and in the latter position serves to continuously draw the door firmly against the sealing strip 32 compressing the latter slightly as shown in Fig. 4, thereby preventing the entrance of moisture into the sand box. It will be seen that when the member 58 is in the open position shown in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 4, the roller 64 has been swung around to a position wherein it will lie in the path of the door when the latter is moved to closed position, and will consequently be engaged by the inner face of the door during such closing movement with the result that the member will be swung around its pivot point 68 until the spring passes beyond such pivot point, whereupon the spring will serve to pull the member in the direction which will cause the roller 62 to bear against the door, thereby assisting in moving the latter to closed position and firmly holding it in that position.

To permit the filling of the sand box from the outside of the locomotive, an opening I2 is formed in the body side wall I0. A frame is provided for this opening, which frame consists of angle members I4 and a plate I6 having an opening I8 formed therein, the angle members and the plate being drawn toward each other by bolts 80 so that they are clamped against the side wall I0, there being a gasket 82 of resilient material interposed between the long legs 84 of the angle members and the side wall and a similar gasket 86 between the side wall and the plate IS, the latter abutting against the ends of the short legs 88 of the angle members.

Secured to the ends of the bottom angle mem bars are lugs 90 through which extends a long pin 92 which is held in place by nuts 94 threaded thereon. 96 is a door which has a. piece of tubing98 welded to its lower edge. the tubing ting over the pin so that the door will be pivotally supported thereon. A strip I80 of resilient material is secured to the inner face of the door adjacent the opening in the frame so that when the door is in closed position, a weathertight joint will be provided between the door and the frame.

vThis 'door is held in closed position by members 58. and associated parts which are identical with those described in connection with the inner door 38, the only differences being that two of holding members are employed instead of one and they being located on the inside of the door instead of on the outside. The brackets 54 in this case are secured to U-shaped supports 82 and I94, the ends of which are welded to the inner face of the door. These holding members operate in the same general manner a that pre-- viously described, the rollers 62 in this case however bearing against the inner face of the plate 7'5 when the door is in closed position and ther e by serving to draw it tightly against the sealing strip IE9. When the door is moved to open position, the members 58 will be swung around the pivot points 68 until the springs pass over such points, whereupon the members will be pulled. by the springs to aposition wherein the rollerswill, during the latter part of the closing move-- ment of the door, engage the long legs 84 of the angle members, and a continuation of the clos ing movement will cause the springs to pass over center again and then serve to draw the rollers 62 against the plate I6 to firmly hold the door in closed position against the sealing strip Hill.

The upper and side edges of the door are bent over to form flanges 06, and a hand hole IE8 is formed in the central portion of the door. A cup-shaped member H0 is welded to the inner face of the door to provide a space for the fingers of the operators hand when the door is to be opened or closed, the member III] extending beyond the edge H2 of the hand hole in order that the portion of the door adjacent the edge H2 may be grasped by the operator during the opening or closing movements of the door. The purpose of locating the holding members for the door on the inside thereof, and of providing the hand hole in the door rather than placing a handle thereon, is to avoid having any parts projecting outwardly from the door, it being de-' sirable that the outer surface of the locomotive body wall be maintained as smooth as possible. The tubing 98 is of oval shape in cross-section in order that there may be clearance at each side of the pin 92, which clearance is provided to permit the door to be drawn tightly against the sealing strip I00 by the holding members.

Welded to the plate I8 adjacent the outer edge thereof is an oval-shaped flange H4 to which is secured a ring I I5 which is of round cross-sectional shape. A similar flange H8 is welded to the plate I5 opposite the band H4 and it has secured to it a ring I20 which is like the ring I I6. Extending over the space between the flanges H4 and H8 is a sleeve I22 of any suitable resilient material, and this is held in place by having springs or wires I24 sewed or otherwise secured in its edges, these springs or wires extending behind the rings II-fi and I20 and serving to draw the sleeve over said rings. The purpose of the sleeve is to provide a yieldable closure between the edges of the opening in the body side wall and the opening in the sand box, to prevent air from outside the vehicle or dust from the sand from entering the space inside of the body when the sand box is being filled, which of course requires that the door 86 be opened. The reason it is desirable to have the sleeve I22 formed of resilient material is that the sand box, being formed as a receptacle which is separate from the body framing rather than a part thereof, will tend to move slightly relative to the body side wall during operation of the locomotive, and the resilient sleeve will accommodate such move- .ment. 1

In Figs. to 8 there is shown another form of my' invention, which may be considered as being the preferred form. In describing this form ofthe invention, the same reference numerals are used to refer to parts which are the same as those used in the form first described. Therefore, the numeral I0 designates the side wall of the locomotive body and i2 is a sand box located within the body, the side wall I4 of the box being spaced from the wall I0 as in the other form. I6 is a plate welded to the side wall and having a relatively large opening I8 formed in it. The opposite wall of the sand box extends diagonally as at 22 at its upper end and then horizontally as at 24 to form a top for the box, this top being welded to the plate I6. The wall 20 also is bent around to form side walls 26 which are welded to the wall I4.

The plate I6 has a channel-shaped portion I26 formed in it across the top and down each side of the opening I8. The sealing strip 32 which is formed of any suitable resilient material, is secured in this channel by fasteners 34, this strip when in uncompressed condition extending beyond the end of the inner leg I28 of the channel.

I30 is a door which is pivotally connected to the plate I6 by hinge 40, the lower edge of the door being bent over to form a flange 42 to which the hinge is secured. Connected to the inner face of the door by welding is a U-shaped chute 48 which serves to support a screen which is secured to its lower edge. 52 is a plate welded to the inner surface of the lower portion of the door and to the sides of the chute 48 to keep the sand from getting into the hinge 40 and to support the edge of the screen adjacent the door. Welded to the outer face of the door is a channel-shaped member I32 which serves to stiffen the door and also serves an additional purpose, to be described presently.

Opposite the door I30. the side wall I0 has a large rectangular shaped opening I2 formed in it. A frame fits within this opening, which frame consists of a channel-shaped member I34 having a flange I36 extending outwardly therefrom, and a plate I38 secured together by bolts I40, the latter serving to clamp the side wall between the flange and the plate, there being strips 82 of resilient material interposed between these parts. The plate I38 has a rectangular shaped opening I42 formed in it. Secured to the inner leg of the channel I34 by rivets I44 is a gasket I46 of resilient material.

Welded to each side of the lower portion of the flange I36 of the frame are lugs 90 through which a long pin 92 extends, which pin is held in place by nuts 94 threaded on the ends thereof. I48 is a door having a piece of tubing 98 of oval cross-sectional shape welded to its lower portion, the tubing fitting over the pin so that the door will be pivotally supported thereon. The outer edge of the door is bent inwardly as at I58 so that it extends into the space between the legs of the channel I34 to protect the gasket I46 and to improve the appearance of the door.

The central portion of the door I48 is pressed inwardly to form a recess I52 within which is located a handle I54 for operating and locking the door. As best shown in Fig. '7, this handle has a shank I56 which is journalled in a hub I58 of a housing I60 which is secured by bolts I6I to brackets I62 welded to the inner surface of the door, the hub extending through a hole formed therein. The shank has a "square hole formed in it, and a squared portion I63 of a shaft I64 extends through this hole, the handle I54 being held in place thereon by nut I66. The other end of the shaft extends into the housing I60 and has a rollback member I68 welded or otherwise secured to it. Between the rollback and the end of the shank I56 are located a spacer sleeve I10 and a washer I12, and at the end of the shaft a collar "4 is secured thereto, this collar being iournalled in a bore I'I6 formed in a cover III? which is secured to the housing by screws I80.

As best shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the housing I68 extends substantially all the way across the door I48 and has at latch bolt I82 slidably mounted in its left hand end below the center of the shaft I64, while a latch bolt I84 is slidably mounted in the right hand end of the housing above the center of the shaft. The latch bolt I 82 has a bar I86 secured to it and at the inner end of this bar a projection I88 is formed which is adapted to be engaged by the arm I90 on the rollback I68- to retract the latch bolt when the handle is turned. A compression spring I92 bearing against the projection I88 normally keeps the latch bolt in extended position. The latch bolt I84 has a bar I94 secured to it, which bar has projection I96 extending behind arm I98 on rollback I68, a compression spring 208 bearing against projection I96 to normally hold the latch bolt I84 in extended position. The bar I94 rests on top of the spacer sleeve I10 and rolls thereon when the latch bolt is retracted.

As shown in Fig. 6, when the door I48 is in closed position, the latch bolts I82 and I84 bear against members 282 which are secured to striker plates 204 connected to the channel I34 by screws 206. The members 202 have angularly extending surfaces 208 formed thereon which cooperate with correspondingly shaped angular surfaces 2 I 0 formed on the latch bolts to draw the door tightly against the resilient gasket I46 thereby efiecting a weather-tight seal all around the edge of the door opening. 7

When the door I48 is in closed position, a wear plate 2I2, secured to the cover M8 by screws 2M,

bears against a lever 2I6 which is pivotally connected by bolt 2I8 to a bracket 828 welded to the outer face of door :80. A compression spring 222, pivoted at one end on a pm 224 secured to the door and at the other on a pin 226 carried by the lever Z I 6 tends to swing the latter to the left about the pivot point 2I8 as viewed in Fig. I, but when the outer door I 48 is in closed position, the action of the wear plate 2I2 bearing against the lever compresses the spring causing the latter to press the door I30 tightly against the resilient sealing strip 32 to produce a tight seal around the edge of the door I30, in order to prevent the em trance of moisture into the interior of the sand box.

To open the outer door I48, the handle I54 is turned in a counterclockwise direction which causes the rollback arms I88 and I98 to pull the bars I86 and I64 respectively toward the center of the door, thereby retracting the latch bolts I82 and I84 so that the door may be swung outwardly and downwardly about its pivot point 92. This of course releases the pressure against the lever 2I5 which then swings to the left as viewed in Fig. 7 until it engages a stop 228 which is welded to a flange 238 bent outwardly at the upper edge of the door. The operator may then take hold of the pressure lever which also serves as a handle and by pulling on it may move the inner door I38 to open position, which is shown in the dot-anddash lines in Fig. 7. It will be seen that when in this position, the channel stiffening member I32 serves also as a bumper, bearing against the lower part of the outer door frame I34 to limit outward movement of the door' I so that the chute 48 will be in correct position to receive sand being poured into the chute, the sand passing through the screen 50 as it falls downwardly into the sand box.

When the doors are to be closed, the inner door is first swung up into closed position. It will be noted that the plate I6, which contains the filling opening for the sand box and to'which the door I3!) is hingedly connected, is in a slightly inclined position so that the upper part of the door I30 must be swung a little over the center of the hinge 40, which results in this door staying in closed position until the outer door is closed and the wear plate I18 again bears against the pressure lever 2IB to positively hold the inner door in closed position.

When the outer door is being swung to closed position, it will be noted that since the latch bolt I82 is closer to the hinge connection 92-98 than is the latch bolt I84, it will first engage its striker plate 20d and will be forced inwardly against the action of spring I92 before the latch bolt 84 engages its striker plate. This makes it somewhat easier to close the door than would be the case if the springs behind both latch bolts had to be compressed at once.

Secured to the plate I38 adjacent the outer edge thereof is a ring 232 having an outwardly extending flange 234 formed thereon, while a similarly shaped ring 236 provided with a flange 238 is secured near the outer edge of plate I6. As in the first described form of the invention, I22 is a sleeve of any suitable resilient material which is held in place by having springs or wires I24 sewed or otherwise secured in its edges, which springs or wires extend behind the flanges 234 and 238, the purpose of the sleeve being the same as in the other form,

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood that various changes in the arrangement and details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a vehicle body having a side wall, said wall having an opening formed therein, a sand box located inside said body and spaced from said wall, said box having a filling opening registering with the opening in the wall, doors for each of said openings, and a flexible member extending from the inner face of the wall to said sand box, said member surrounding said openings to provide a tubular passageway through which sand may be supplied to said box from the exterior of the body.

2. In combination with a vehicle body having a side wall, said wall having an opening formed therein, a sand box located inside said body and spaced from said wall, said box having a filling opening registering with the opening in the wall, doors for each of said openings, and a closure member of flexible material extending across the space between the inner surface of the wall and the sand box around the edges of said openings, said member forming a tubular passageway through which sand may be supplied to said box from the xterior of the body.

3. In combination with a vehicle body having a side wall, said wall having an opening formed therein, a sand box located inside said body and spaced from said wall, said box having a filling opening located opposite the opening in the wall, doors for each of said openings, and a closure member of flexible material extending across the space between the inner surface of the wall and the sand box around the edges of said openings, said closure member preventing the entry of outside air into the interior of the vehicle body when the doors are opened to permit filling of the sand box.

4. In combination with a vehicle body having a side wall, said wall having an opening formed therein, a sand box located inside the body and spaced from said wall, said box having a filling opening registering with the opening in the wall, doors for each of said openings, an annular flange extending inwardly from the wall around the opening therein, a second annular flange extending from the sand box toward the first named flange, and a sleeve of flexible material having its ends secured to said flanges, said sleeve forming a tubular passageway through which sand may be supplied to the box from the exterior of the body.

5. In combination with a vehicle body having .a side wall with an opening formed therein, an outer door adapted to close said opening, a sand box located inside said body and spaced from .said wall, said box having a filling opening registering with the opening in said wall, an inner door adapted to close the opening in said box,

and resilient means carried by the inner door adapted to be engaged by a portion of the outer door when the latter is in closed position, whereby the inner door will be tightly held in closed position.

6. In combination with a vehicle body having a side wall with an opening formed therein, an outer door adapted to close said opening, a sand box located inside said body and spaced from said wall, said box having a filling opening registering with the opening in said wall, an inner door adapted to close the opening in said box, a lever pivotally supported on the outer face of said inner door, and resilient means located between the lever and the inner door, said outer door when in closed position being adapted to engage the free end of said lever whereby said resilient means will be compressed and will exert pressure against said inner door to tightly close the opening in said sand box.

7. In combination with a vehicle body having a side wall with an opening formed therein, an outer door adapted to close said opening, a sand box located inside said body and spaced from said wall, said box having a filling opening registering with the opening in said wall, a resilient sealing strip extending around the edge of the latter opening, an inner door adapted to seat against said sealing strip, a bracket secured to the outer face of the inner door, a lever pivotally supported on said bracket/and a spring located between said lever and said inner door, said outer door when in closed position being adapted to engage the free end of said lever whereby the latter will be swung toward the inner door compressing said spring and causing the latter to exert pressure against said inner door to hold the latter against said sealing strip thereby tightly closing the opening in said sand box.

MARTIN P. BLOMBERG. 

